The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity.

We collaborate with national and local leaders across the United States – nonprofit leaders, policymakers, labor leaders, business leaders, educators, academics, and more – and we actively seek input and ideas from individuals and communities affected by proposed approaches to address economic opportunity challenges. Through our leadership and fellowship programs; applied research and evaluation; data and analysis; and dialogue with diverse stakeholders, we work at both local and national levels to build understanding and galvanize action to address the challenge of economic opportunity in America.

Join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular updates on our work.

Implementation Of Accelerating Opportunity
Publications

Implementation Of Accelerating Opportunity

Accelerating Opportunity aims to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain a well-paying job, and sustain a rewarding career.

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Publications

Restore the Promise of Work: Reducing Inequality by Raising the Floor and Building Ladders

Restore the Promise of Work: Reducing Inequality by Raising the Floor and Building Ladders encourages a broader community beyond workforce development to engage in initiatives that redesign work to expand economic opportunity and address growing social, political, and economic inequality

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Publications

Raise the Floor and Build Ladders: Workforce Strategies Supporting Mobility and Stability

Raise the Floor and Build Ladders: Workforce Strategies Supporting Mobility and Stability argues for rebalancing workforce development strategies to improve the lives of low-wage workers.

EntrepreneurTracker Client Outcomes Highlights – 2014
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EntrepreneurTracker Client Outcomes Highlights – 2014

This brief summarizes business-related outcomes reported by microenterprise clients in 2014.

Models of Success
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Models of Success

Optimizing Talent: The Promise and the Perils of Adapting Sectoral Strategies for Young Workers
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Optimizing Talent: The Promise and the Perils of Adapting Sectoral Strategies for Young Workers

This report looks at sector programs and the experience of a network of young adult and sector practitioners.

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Publications

Apprenticeship: Training That Works

The report targets 4 aspects of the apprenticeship “eco-system”: Knowledge and Research, Marketing & Outreach, Advocacy & Policy, Capacity Building for Practitioners.

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Publications

Apprenticeship: Training That Works

In Training That Works, authors John Colborn and Susan Crane scan the field of apprenticeship and identify areas where coordinated investments of foundations could support high-leverage, actionable ideas.

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Publications

Flipping the Classroom

Seeking to boost student success in health sciences, Austin Community College’s (ACC) Biology Department set out to fundamentally change how students learn and master prerequisite course material.

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Promising Practices – Northern Virginia Community College

In 2011, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) launched a new Adult Career Pathways (ACP) initiative to enable more low-income adult students to access and succeed in career studies programs.

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Publications

The Power of Pell

In response to declining public funding for noncredit workforce programs, Mott Community College took the unusual step of awarding Pell “Clock Hour” grants to students in two noncredit health care certificate programs.

US Microenterprise Census Highlights, Fiscal Year 2014
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US Microenterprise Census Highlights, Fiscal Year 2014

Released in 2016, the US Microenterprise Census Highlights of 2014 include data from 142 microenterprise organizations across the country.

About the Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings
Publications

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

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Podcasts Videos

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

This conversation is part of our Opportunity in America series, where we take a look at the economy, what’s working, what’s broken, and really how we fix it to make sure that everyone can succeed in today’s economy.

Resource Roundup: Wages and Affordability
Blog Posts
Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis
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Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes
Podcasts Videos

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes

Economic security shouldn’t be a lottery. Yet for millions of working families, stagnant wages and precarious jobs collide with the daily grind of managing money on shaky ground — leaving stability feeling less like a plan and more like a gamble. Fixing that takes more than one lever. It takes structural reform and the tools people need to take control of their financial lives, working together.

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers
Publications

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

Insights from Focus Groups with Employee Owners